Eiran Cashin felt that Birmingham City was an opportunity too good to turn down, and Premier League employers Brighton and Hove Albion were never likely to deny the defender a chance he seized with both hands.
The 23-year-old Republic of Ireland Under-21 international takes Birmingham City’s tally of summer signings to a round ten.
And while Eiran Cashin will not turn quite so many heads as Bright Osayi-Samuel, Tommy Doyle, Kyogo Furuhashi or the returning Demarai Gray, he could yet prove to be one of the most intelligent, under-the-radar additions of the entire window.
Brighton and Hove Albion paid £9 million to sign Cashin after he established himself as one of the finest young defenders in the Football League with Derby County, after all.
The Mansfield-born stopper then returned to The Rams on loan last season, occasionally captaining the club at the age of 22 and helping Derby avoid an immediate return to the third-tier.
Now, after Birmingham City beat a host of Championship rivals to Eiran Cashin’s signature, his next task will be to force his way into a backline breached only 31 times when Chris Davies’ Blues cruised to the League One title.
Photo by Cameron Howard/Getty ImagesBrighton coach Fabian Hurzeler explains Eiran Cashin’s Birmingham City transfer
Cashin impressed Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler during the opening weeks of pre-season.
However, with Lewis Dunk, Jan Paul van Hecke, Adam Webster, plus new signings Diego Copolla and Oliver Boscagli all ahead of him in the pecking order, Hurzeler felt that he could not deny Cashin the chance to build further upon the reputation he carved out with Derby.
“Eiran has benefitted from the period of time he’s been with us and had a strong pre-season,” Hurzeler tells the official Brighton website. “This loan offers him the opportunity to play regularly, and continue his development.
“We’ll be keeping a close watch on him as the season progresses.”
Former Derby and Birmingham boss Wayne Rooney labelled Eiran Cashin an ‘outstanding’ talent during their time together in the East Midlands.
A natural left-footer, he will likely take the place of Ben Davies at St Andrews. Fellow southpaw Davies is back at Rangers following an impressive loan spell south of the border last season.
Unsurprisingly, ambitious, deep-pocketed Birmingham have pulled off some of the most eye-catching deals in the Championship this summer.
Former Derby County star Cashin highlights Birmingham’s ambition
Wolves’ Tommy Doyle rebuffed Premier League advances due to the ‘ambition’ shown by a club eyeing a top-flight return of their own. Prodigal son Demarai Gray felt this was the ‘perfect time’ to re-join the club where he started his career, meanwhile.
James Beadle was England’s starting goalkeeper during their Under-21 European Championship-winning campaign, Bright Osayi-Samuel played Europa League football for Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce, and former Celtic talisman Kyogo Furuhashi arrives only months after making a £10 million switch to Rennes.
“You can see in the media, everything that’s going on in the club, and you can see the trajectory and the way it’s going. That’s something that’s hard not to buy into,” Cashin beams.
“I know the owners, and the investment has been really good for the club, and I know the manager and his style of play, and the players that have come into the club recently have all been really positive.
“I’m buzzing to get it done.” 👊
Eíran with his first words in Blue.
— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) July 25, 2025
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“It shows where the club is heading, so again it was an easy one to buy into.
“With everything going on and how well [Birmingham] did last season, you’d always be watching it, even if you were in the changing rooms before a game. You would watch Birmingham and how they were getting on and the results, and the amount of points accumulated.
“It was impressive, and that’s something I want to be part of this season going forward. I know it will be a lot tougher this season but I’m more than willing to add my part to the group.”